Avengers 3 & 4 Will Feature Several Character Evolutions

In a similar fashion to Thor's transformation in Thor: Ragnarok, several Marvel Cinematic Universe characters will evolve during Avengers: Infinity Warand Avengers 4, according to Kevin Feige. Of course, Chris Hemsworth’s third solo outing as the God of Thunder gave the character a significant rejig: by the end of the film he had a new costume, less hair, no hammer, no homeworld, no dad, and a shiny patch where his right eye should be. It was a surprisingly massive overhaul for such an established presence in the MCU.

The Avengers: Infinity War poster has already teased some physical changes for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in their next big crossover outing: in the eye-catching one-sheet, Chris Evans’ Captain America has a beard, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow has bleached blonde hair, and there is a gold metallic tint to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man costume. These visual changes tie in nicely with the idea that multiple characters will be evolving in the next two Avengers movies.

During an interview with Collider, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige talked about the removal of Thor’s eye during Ragnarok. The decision to remove Thor’s eye was reached after much thinking about “what’s fun for the character” and “cool for the character,” which culminated in the complete Thor overhaul seen in the finished film. Judging by this little soundbite from Feige, Marvel Studios has plans to overhaul and evolve other characters in a similar fashion:

“There’ll be lots of evolutions for lots of characters over the course of the next two Avengers films.”

As you would expect, Feige doesn’t give anything away in the interview about which characters will be evolving and how these changes will play out. Still, it's interesting to hear that Marvel isn’t resting on its laurels with its iconic stable of heroes. If Ragnarok was a sign of things to come, the Avengers could end up looking and feeling very different after their next two cinematic outings.

Perhaps this talk of evolution ties into the fan theories about Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye changing his heroic identity to Ronin and Steve Rogers becoming Nomad instead of Captain America. These characters have been in the MCU for a long time, and it would be cool to see them trying new things and growing as people. New costumes and new heroic identities would give fans plenty to talk about.

After all, fans don’t want the MCU to stagnate. By evolving their characters in physical and emotional ways during Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, Feige and company can ensure that doesn't happen.